[The Rez]

Sharron,

That gov copyright site is great. I don't know if it told you, however, that under American Copyright Law, any original piece you create is automatically copyrighted.

The purpose of the Poor Man's copyright (which I've often done in my teens,) is to prove possession of the material as of the postmark date.

But, in reality, a legitimately registered and paid for copyright certificate will trump the Poor Man's copyright. I've seen it too many times while working for The Musician's Union West Coast Offices. That's particularly true for mechanical or electronic rights (explained at the site.)

My advice to you is to formally pay for and register your original works thru the US Copyright Office. It can get a little pricy, but there are ways around it.

The easiest way around the fee thing, is to copyright a "collection." Sorta like an album of material. You copyright as many works as you choose under one Title, pay one fee, and all the contents of that "collection" are protected.

Should success find you, vultures will stop at nothing to snatch your copyright, hence the wisdom of the formal Copyright Certificate.

Please believe me, it will trump the Poor Man's.

Also, when I mentioned how an original work is automatically copyrighted, that remains true only so long as it is not published in any form - any form. Public performance over live radio, for instance.

Hope that helps.

The Rez